r/Militarynumismatics

"This is a very interesting bond that was paid in 1936 to World War I veterans. These instruments were the culmination of a long struggle by many veterans to obtain payment of bonuses promised after the end of World War I. The "Bonus Army," whose march on Washington, DC ended in a contentious melee when regular army troops commanded by then Colonel Douglas MacArthur ousted the protesters from their Washington campground, had long agitated for these bonds to be issued, which they were after approval by Congress in 1936. These bonds were given upon application only to veterans of World War I in an amount based on length of service between specified dates. They were redeemable only by the veteran or his estate, with each bond containing space on the back for four fingerprints from the right hand of every applicant for payment, a feature we have seen on no other government obligation of any kind. The final maturity date was June 15, 1945, The bonds drew no interest unless held for at least one year. Likely because of their issuance during the depths of the Great Depression, and their many restrictions, most all of these bonds were speedily redeemed."

Source: Heritage Auctions Description

The top two pieces are Colonial Currency, which was issued by each of the original 13 colonies from 1690 until the ratification of the US Constitution. The top left piece is a Two Shillings & Six Pence note dated June 7^(th), 1776 from Connecticut. The top right piece is Twenty Shillings dated July 20^(th), 1775 from Pennsylvania.  

The bottom is Continental Currency, an $80 note dated 14^(th) January 1779. There were 11 resolutions passed by the Continental Congress authorizing these notes from May 10^(th), 1775 through January 14^(th), 1776. These notes bore no interest, were a promise to pay the bearer, and were redeemed with taxes levied by the individual colonies. Due to high inflation, the phrase “not worth a Continental” became common. This particular note is the highest denomination of Continental Currency issued.

Wartime often brings shortages of the things that we use every day and take for granted. Rationing is used to keep prices stable, prevent hoarding, and ensure a fairer distribution of goods. In World War II, the US formed the Office of Price Administration to handle this task.

“Red and blue fiber tokens were issued by the Office of Price Administration (OPA) during most of 1944. The red token was used to purchase meats, fats, fish, and cheese; the blue token was used for purchasing processed foods. The tokens are made of a vulcanized fiber with a yellow-orange middle layer as security against counterfeiting. They glow under ultraviolet light. The tokens were manufactured by Osborne Register Company, Cincinnati.”

“Each token was worth one ration point. This value and two control letters are stamped on both sides. The exact uses of these letters are somewhat in doubt and dispute, but they certainly were part of the security system.”

“The Society of Ration Token Collectors has done remarkable research on these tokens (and all other aspects of World War II rationing). Its book US Ration Currency and Tokens 1942-1945, edited by Joseph A. Lowande, is highly recommended.”

Source: World War II Remembered: History in Your Hands, a Numismatic Study by C. Frederick Schwan and Joseph E. Boling

Ration tokens were primarily used by individuals when purchasing goods while ration checks were used by wholesalers and retailers who dealt in large amounts of rationed good.

In addition to World War II Remembered: History in Your Hands, a Numismatic Study and US Ration Currency and Tokens 1942-1945, James Downey’s book, Pay to the Order of Victory; United States Checks in World War II is another fascinating read.

Signature of Field Marshal of the Philippines Douglas MacArthur on the back of a 10 peso JIM note.

I recently acquired this set of WWI British medals for my collection. From left to right they include: Military Cross, British War Medal, Victory Medal, and King George VI Coronation Medal.

The back of the Military Cross is inscribed with the following: J. A. McGrath 2ond Lieut 9th Royal Dublin Fusiliers Ypres Aug 1917. The inscription was obviously done privately as Military Crosses were issued unnamed. The British War Medal and Victory Medal are both named to McGrath on their edges.

Also included is a photograph of McGrath from the Imperial War Museum as well as his citation from the Supplement to the London Gazette, 7 March 1918.

I was going through some banknotes and came across this short snorter from some Chinese aviation cadets at Thunderbird Field in Arizona.

The inscription that made me stop and do some research was:

"To Dear inatructor. from A/C Liang Yuan Kang in Thunderbird Field April 13-45"

Doing a little online searching, I learned about Thunderbird Field and its significance to the Allied war effort:

"In late 1940, a contingent of Hollywood actors and businessmen, headed by Leland Hayward and John Connelly, formed a corporation and approached the Army to establish a primary flight training school. The corporation was named Southwest Airways (no affiliation with Southwest Airlines). Hayward and Connelly chose a site near Phoenix, Arizona, primarily because of space, excellent weather, and visibility: all suitable for flight instruction. Construction of Thunderbird Field was started that same month and completed three months later. Flight instruction began in the Spring of 1941 and continued through the end of World War II. During operations more than more than 15,000 cadets were trained in primary flight instruction at Thunderbird Field No. 1. Cadets were from China, Great Britain, and Canada as well as the United States." Source: https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/nodes/view/197

The lighting in the photo makes the ink look new, but holding the note in my hand, I can tell you it's 81 years old.

Check out the Arizona Memory Project for more interesting information about Thunderbird Field.

Here's a WWII Japanese bond.

More specifically it's a 10 Yen Greater East Asia War Discounted Treasury Bond issued 23 April 1942 (17.4.23) with a maturity date of 9 June 1952 (27.6.9). It was sold at the time for 70% of face value (i.e. 7 Yen). This is the 2nd release and more information can be found on page 573 of World War II Remembered.

This is an interesting pair of coins. Both were struck by the US Mint in Philadelphia on the same zinc coated steel planchets.

For the US, copper was a vital material needed for the war effort; therefore, the change in 1943.

The Belgian coin is part of the liberation issue of emergency currency prepared under the authority of the Belgian government-in-exile.

Well known numismatist and publisher, Chester Krause shared some of his recollections on these coins from his time in the US Army:

"Before I left for the ETO in October 1944, America was already using the 1943 steel cent and the nickels that contained no nickel and had the large mintmark over the Monticello dome. This did not go unnoticed by me, having collected coins since the early '30s. But by the same token, I really didn't know why the coins were different except that there was a war going on. Remember, there were no coin catalogs or periodicals about coins in the early '40s."

"Our short stay in Rouen, France (December 16-21), allowed us to see our first Allied military franc currency which we took with us to Luxembourg. There we again could use the limited currency of Luxembourg, as well as that of Belgium. As I recall, the French Allied franc was worth 2 cents; the Luxembourg-Belgium franc was 2.3 cents. A conglomeration of French army currency, French Allied currency, Luxembourg and Belgian currency, and even an occasional English note served us until late March, when we left for the Rhine River."

Based upon this account, the Belgium 2 Franc pictured above would be worth 4.6 cents while the US steel cent was worth only 1 cent.

The above quotes are from my favorite numismatic book, World War II Remembered: History in Your Hands, a Numismatic Study by C. Frederick Schwan and Joseph E. Boling. If you like collecting coins, paper money, bonds, or anything numismatic related and if you enjoy studying WWII history, it's a definite book for any personal library.

Short Snorter and postal cover signed by the crew of Lonesome George, which took part in Operation Power Flite - the first non-stop circumnavigation of the earth.

On January 18, 1957, SAC sent three of B-52s around the world.

Two B-52s participated as back up aircraft. Their

trip round the world was nonstop with four in-flight refuelings by KC-97 tankers.

They flew 24,325 miles in 45:19 at an average speed of 534 mph from Castle AFB (January 16, 1957), landing at March AFB (January 18, 1957).

I have been a collector of many things and student of history since I was a child. I started with collecting coins and stamps and eventually branched into military memorabilia. Having two grandfathers that served in the US military in World War II, I’ve always had a special interest in that time period.

 

After graduating high school, I enlisted in the US Air Force and a few years later I at my first duty station I found a coin shop that I really liked. Every Tuesday afternoon, I’d go there to look for new treasures to add to my collection. One week I saw a particularly interesting book for sale there: World War II Remembered: History in Your Hands, a Numismatic Study by C. Frederick Schwan and Joseph E. Boling. I bought it and immediately fell in love with it. It combined my fascination of World War II history with my love of collecting coins and paper money.

 

Fast forward a year or two and I’m stationed in Korea. Hoping to continue to grow my coin and paper money collection, I did some research and discovered the place to go: Insa-dong (인사동) in Seoul. I began to make weekly trips there and quickly developed a rapport with several coin shop owners. I began collecting World War II Japanese bonds as well as Korean bonds from the 1950s and 1960s as there was a great variety available and they were cheap ($2 to $5 each in 2003-2004). One week, I made the “mistake” of bringing my copy of World War II Remembered with me as it has an extensive section listing different World War II Japanese bonds. I pulled it out in one of the shops as I was browsing the selection and the owner took it from me, flipped through it, and said that it was his book now. We had become friends by this point, so I told him that he could keep it and reimburse me the replacement cost when I bought another copy over mid-tour leave.

 

Around this time, I found some Japanese bonds for which the blocks weren’t listed in World War II Remembered. I decided to reach out to the authors to inform them of my discoveries. Fred Schwan directed me to contact Joe Boling and I excitedly shared my findings. If I remember correctly, this is how I ended up with a subscription to the email newsletter known at the MPC Gram (you can read back issues here: https://www.militarypaymentcertificates.us/ and even subscribe). After religiously reading the Gram for over two decades, I felt a strong connection to their community even though I had never met any of the contributors in person. That all changed after I retired from the Air Force; in April 2024, I was finally able to attend my first MPC Fest. It truly was an amazing experience. The people were great and the events were wonderful (guess I’ll have to make a separate post on MPC Fest).

 

I share all this to show how buying a book can have a major impact on your collecting experience. Through Fred and Joe’s hard work, I expanded my collection greatly; it now includes coins, banknotes, bonds, and military payment certificates, but most importantly many new friends and a lifetime of fond memories. I am eternally grateful to Fred and Joe for adding so much richness to my life through their book as well as for the community created as a result of it.